The University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, have signed an intellectual property licensing agreement to advance the development and manufacture a vaccine candidate for the deadly Nipah virus.
Under the terms of the agreement, SII has been granted a non-exclusive, worldwide licence in the field of Nipah virus vaccines, enabling the company to support the development, manufacture and potential future supply of the vaccine candidate developed at the University of Oxford, with support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.
Nipah virus is a zoonotic pathogen associated with severe disease and high mortality, with outbreaks reported primarily in South and Southeast Asia since it was first identified in Malaysia in 1999. Despite the significant threat it poses to public health, there are currently no approved vaccines available to prevent Nipah virus infection.
The development of the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine candidate is being funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and is based on the ChAdOx1 viral vector platform developed at the University of Oxford. Preclinical studies have demonstrated promising results.
Clinical-grade vaccine has been produced and a Phase 2a clinical trial has been begun to evaluate the candidate’s safety and immunogenicity in humans. Subject to the results of these early studies, the programme is expected to progress to further clinical evaluation, including Phase 2b trials in regions where Nipah virus outbreaks occur.
Professor Brian Angus, Professor of Medical Practice at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine and Chief Investigator of the trial at the Oxford Vaccine Group, said: “With mortality rates of up to 70%, and recurring outbreaks across South and Southeast Asia, Nipah virus poses a serious and ongoing threat to vulnerable communities.
“Our focus at Oxford is to turn scientific discovery into vaccines that could help prevent future outbreaks and save lives, and this collaboration with the Serum Institute of India represents an important step towards achieving that goal.”